Randy Brooks struck gold three times over the summer at Hilo, Hawaii.
The Blind Bay athlete and longtime Shuswap paddler once again qualified to represent Canada at the IVF Va鈥檃 World Elite & Club Sprints Championships. Brooks, and wife Michele, last competed in this bi-annual outrigger canoe event in 2016 in Australia. This year's competition took place at Hilo, Aug. 13 to 24.
Brooks paddled with the Canadian Icemen, a 70+ team that also consisted of Gary Biagioni, Martin Jalkotzy, Tom MacKay, John Rodgers and Bob Stewart. Together, the Icemen iced their competition in two heats and won gold in three races, including the Master 70 Men V6 500-metre, the V6 500-metre turn and the V12 500-m.
"We had five races and we won them all," said Brooks. "We were shocked."
Approximately 3,000 athletes representing 27 countries took part in this year's event. The Icemen, in men's 70-plus category, competed against 17 other teams. After winning their two heats, the Icemen qualified to lane-one starts for the two V6 final races, one involving a straight 500-metre race and the other a race where paddlers go 250-metres, turn and race a second 250-metres.
"These races are won and lost on that turn," said Brooks.
The V12 race involved two teams racing as one, with the ama (the stabilizing floating outrigger on the canoe's left side) removed so the boats can be connected.
"With the V12 race there was no heat, there were eight teams, one race and it was a final, and we won the gold in that," said Brooks, adding the three gold-medal wins, along with the heat wins, was a first for him and possibly for the event.
After the races, Brooks said he and the Icemen received special recognition from fellow paddlers who formed an arch with their arms for the Canadian team to walk under.
"The outrigger community is like a great big family," said Brooks. "I鈥檝e been racing over 20 years and there are paddlers all over the world you get to know, become friends with, and you see each other at the bigger events."
Asked what's next, Randy said he and fellow Icemen plan to compete in events around the province in 2025, with the goal of being in Singapore the following year for the next IVF Va鈥檃 World Elite & Club Sprints Championships.
"We鈥檝e already agreed as a team to compete domestically鈥� to keep together, to keep fit, everybody has made a commitment to work out and practice and you know, to stay at the level we鈥檙e at," said Brooks.
